Brave.
Ready.
Resilient.
Prepared.

“In an emergency, I think I’d be brave and a little bit scared … I would go to a safe spot.”

Neve, 9

Pillowcase Project

Our classroom workshops teach children what emergencies are, how they might be affected, the difference between needs and wants and what to pack in an emergency kit. It’s all about preparing themselves practically and psychologically for emergencies of all kinds, both big and small.

The project was inspired by events during Hurricane Katrina in the US when students used their pillowcases to carry their cherished and basic possessions as they fled. We give each of our students their own pillowcase to keep and decorate with the things they would need in an emergency.

Teachers and principals have told us:

“To me this project allowed the students to not dwell on the one disaster impact but to embrace preparedness for all emergencies. My students talked about this activity the next week. It obviously was something that impacted on many of my students.”

“We know Red Cross do such a great job both in our community and worldwide and we wanted to allow our children to have a set of strategies that they know that they could use in the event of an emergency.”